Reactions, please.
Feb. 20th, 2002 10:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivkaLast night my sister told me a story. I'm going to recount as much of the story as I can, just as it was told to me, and I'd very much appreciate your thoughts.
My sister's friend participates in a newsgroup devoted to a TV show. On that newsgroup, some time ago (more than six months), she began corresponding with a 13-year-old Afghan girl who was in the U.S. to attend school. The girl's guardian was her grandfather, who had very progressive ideas about educating women. Because of that, and because the girl is a math prodigy (although she writes in very broken English), he arranged for her to attend school in New York.
On September 11th, her grandfather had a heart attack and died when he saw the WTC disaster covered on TV. Her U.S. hosts were both in the World Trade Center at the time, and died in the attack. Back in Afghanistan, the rest of her close family was killed when Taliban forces burned their house down. She has therefore come under the custody of distant relatives.
These relatives do not believe in educating girls, and have forced her to leave school. They have arranged her marriage to a 60-year-old man in Afghanistan, against her will. She is still in the U.S., but they moved her a couple of times in a private plane, and she has no idea where she is. She is not permitted to leave the house or contact anyone. She is only able to contact my sister's friend because she has a handheld computer which her guardians don't realize is equipped with e-mail access. She is becoming progressively more despairing, and my sister's friend is becoming progressively more frightened for her.
My sister's friend called the FBI, and was told that without any information about the girl's location there isn't much they can do.
What do you think?
My sister's friend participates in a newsgroup devoted to a TV show. On that newsgroup, some time ago (more than six months), she began corresponding with a 13-year-old Afghan girl who was in the U.S. to attend school. The girl's guardian was her grandfather, who had very progressive ideas about educating women. Because of that, and because the girl is a math prodigy (although she writes in very broken English), he arranged for her to attend school in New York.
On September 11th, her grandfather had a heart attack and died when he saw the WTC disaster covered on TV. Her U.S. hosts were both in the World Trade Center at the time, and died in the attack. Back in Afghanistan, the rest of her close family was killed when Taliban forces burned their house down. She has therefore come under the custody of distant relatives.
These relatives do not believe in educating girls, and have forced her to leave school. They have arranged her marriage to a 60-year-old man in Afghanistan, against her will. She is still in the U.S., but they moved her a couple of times in a private plane, and she has no idea where she is. She is not permitted to leave the house or contact anyone. She is only able to contact my sister's friend because she has a handheld computer which her guardians don't realize is equipped with e-mail access. She is becoming progressively more despairing, and my sister's friend is becoming progressively more frightened for her.
My sister's friend called the FBI, and was told that without any information about the girl's location there isn't much they can do.
What do you think?
a couple of thoughts
Date: 2002-02-20 08:14 am (UTC)even a private plane probably goes through a public airport. This is high-risk, but the girl might be able to approach someone and say "they're kidnapping me" or "these people are taking me to be raped by an old man."
Also, are the guardians' names known? It's possible that something could be done by way of watching borders.
Or maybe a New York warrant for taking the child out of school and not arranging other education? She's under 16 and hasn't finished high school, which means she's legally required to be in school (which can include home schooling, but that clearly isn't happening here). I'm not a lawyer, and am having no luck searching for the relevant law.
found it
Date: 2002-02-20 08:20 am (UTC)each school district of the state, each minor from six to sixteen years
of age shall attend upon full time instruction.
b. Each minor from six to sixteen years of age on an Indian reserva-
tion shall attend upon full time day instruction.
Assuming, of course, that this is real.